For nearly 70 years, the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, a privately-funded, not-for-profit, has played an important role in providing education, job training and housing for homeless men, women and children. The current building that houses the Orlando Union Rescue Mission Men’s Center is aging and is no longer adequate to efficiently provide the services needed.
For the last year, the Orlando Union Rescue Mission has been working to build a new Men’s Center on property they own on Old Winter Garden Road. Unfortunately, this plan has been met with multiple roadblocks. Because the services provided by the Orlando Union Rescue Mission are so critical to the region’s goal of ending homelessness, we have worked with the organization to identify City-owned property on Anderson Street east of Terry Avenue that is an ideal location for the relocation of the Men’s Center. We will make this property available for fair market value.
A relocation of the Men’s Center would allow the building to be designed in a manner that allows for gathering on a courtyard in the interior of the building with aesthetically-appealing architecture that enhances the surrounding neighborhood and allows the Orlando Union Rescue Mission to more effectively serve our homeless community.
Supporting the Orlando Union Rescue Mission will further our efforts to end homelessness. We continue to use the strength of collaboration to address homelessness, one of our community’s most complex challenges.
I encourage you to learn about the Orlando Union Rescue Mission and the services they provide by watching Alex’s story below.
– Buddy Dyer, Mayor
